Two-sided cooking has become a popular method in recent years for cooking hamburger patties and other foods. Cooking time can be significantly reduced, when compared to conventional one-sided cooking, thereby permitting quick and efficient preparation of customer orders. There are several methods of top cooking of food products, the bottom of which is positioned on a heated flat metal surface, hereinafter interchangeably referred to as a grill or griddle. In one method, a hot platen is lowered onto the food, often via a hinged clamshell mechanism. The contact between the top of the patty and the heated platen cooks the top of the patty while the bottom rests directly upon the heated grill. The clamshell grill concept was pioneered by and is used in many high volume applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,094 discloses a conveyor type two-sided cooking apparatus in which the upper platen is power operated to a raised position. A conveyor advances a group of hamburger patties onto the lower platen and stops and the upper cooking platen is then allowed to drop by gravity onto the upper side of the group of patties on the lower platen. Platen stops are provided to control the minimum spacing of the upper platen relative to the lower platen during cooking, to prevent excessive compaction of the cooked patties. After the patties are cooked on both sides, the upper platen is power operated back to its raised position generally paralleling the lower platen and the conveyor is then operated to move the cooked patties off the lower cooking platen. Such conveyor type two-sided cooking apparatus are special purpose machines usable only for cooking certain food products such as hamburger patties that can be advanced by a conveyor onto and off from the lower cooking platen and they are not adapted to alternative use as a single surface grill.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,819 relates to a front loading and unloading grill apparatus for two- sided grilling of hamburger patties. The grill apparatus includes upper and lower cooking platens, a patty support panel at the front of the lower cooking platen and an endless conveyor for advancing uncooked patties from the patty support panel onto the lower cooking platen. When the patties are cooked, the conveyor operates in reverse and the cooked patties are discharged to a cooked patty receiver at the front side of the grill apparatus.
Another method utilized to meet high volume requirement is to employ a chain-driven char-broiler where the top and bottom of each patty is exposed to open flame. And yet another method is to employ a radiant heat emitter which is lowered over the top of the patty, often via a hinged clamshell mechanism, to within a few inches of the meat. While there is no direct contact, the radiant heat cooks the top of the patty which the patty's lower surface rests directly on the hot grill.
Various clamshell type two-sided cooking apparatus have been made in which the upper cooking platen is mounted on a platen support arm for swinging movement about a horizontal axis between a lower cook position and a raised position, and automatically raised at the end of a timed cooking cycle. Some prior art clamshell grills, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,009,792; 4,008,067 and 4,165,682, use counterbalance means to assist raising of the upper platen and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,239 the upper platen is power operated to a raised position by a pneumatic cylinder at the end of a time cooking cycle. In some prior clamshell grills, the upper platen is pivotally mounted on the platen support arm for tilting movement about a horizontal axis relative to the platen support arm to rest the upper surface of the food products. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,632,379 and 4,483,239, the upper platen is rigid with the platen support arm and spacing of the upper platen relative to the lower platen during cooking is effected by vertically adjusting the pivot at the rear of the platen support arm and adjusting an arm stop at the distal end of the platen support arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,571 is another apparatus for two-sided cooking including a housing upon which is mounted a substantially horizontal lower platen assembly and one or more upper platen assemblies each mounted on respective pivotal support arms for movement between a lowered position and a raised position with respect to the lower platen. The apparatus includes mechanisms for maintaining a predetermined minimum spacing between the upper and lower platens for avoiding undue compaction of food products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,373 is a device to be used in connection with an existing grill to permit two-sided cooking of hamburger patties or the like on a relatively limited basis. The device includes a cooking assembly having an electrically-powered cooking platen which can be selectively positioned on food products on the grill, having been configured for use in conjunction with, and for rocking movement on, commercially-sized restaurant grills.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,377 relates to an apparatus for two-sided cooking which comprises one or more upper housing assemblies attached to the rear of a conventional cooking grill to retrofit the grill for two-sided cooking. A plurality of lightweight platens are mounted in the upper housing which float relative thereto, thereby permitting the housing to be lowered to the grill surface so as to completely enclose the items to be cooked.
What is lacking in the above mentioned cooking systems is the ability to conveniently deploy or remove by manual manipulation the top cooking means from the proximity of a relatively large number of meat patties or the like to enable placement of cheese and buns, and possibly other condiments, on the side of a meat patty which has already been cooked, while the second side is being cooked on the griddle (hereinafter referred to as “capping”).
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for simultaneously preparing one or a plurality of individual hamburger sandwiches to individual order;
Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for capping the cooked upper surface of a hamburger patty while the lower surface is being cooked on a grill;
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the two-sided cooking of patties or the like wherein an upper radiant heating element may be moved horizontally to be selectively positioned in a stand-off relationship above items to be cooked arranged upon the surface of a heated grill surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for two-sided cooking of food products which is safe, sanitary and efficient, wherein exposure of the hot surfaces to the cook is absent.
And yet another object is to provide a method and apparatus enhancing the flavor and taste of hamburgers by precooking one surface of a meat patty before it is turned and cooked on the heated surface of a grill.